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My version of a classic. Using potatoes such as Bintje or Sangre varieties adds depth of flavor, and using ripe peppers such as Corno di Toro instead of grocery store green bells just makes the dish even better. O’Brien potatoes are great for dinner as well as breakfast.
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Tagged with: bell peppers • Bintje potatoes • Corno di Toro peppers • onion • peppers • potatoes • sangre potatoes
This was first done for a salad of beets, a peppery cress, arugula, and shreds of Little Gem lettuce. It will go with plenty of other salads of sharp or spicy elements, as well as on pork chops or chicken. Use a milder olive oil, and be sure to use organic oranges with plenty of flavor and some acid. Organic because you want to rub the bowl with the orange skin to flavor the dressing.
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This dressing is for a green salad with blueberries, almonds, and mozzarella, but would work well with other things as well. Use with cold shrimp or chicken, or a salad of sliced radishes and green onions, slaws, or with fennel, among other things.
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Tagged with: basil • blueberries • chicken • cole slaw • dressing • fennel • green onions • orange • radishes • scallions • shrimp • slaw • vinaigrette
A variation on roasted beets, this iteration sees the beets cut into bâtonnet instead of wedges, and a combination of orange juice, orange flower water, and vinegar is used instead of straight vinegar. Be careful with the orange flower (a.k.a. orange blossom water) as it is quite strong, and leaves a bitter taste when too much is used.
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Tagged with: beets
A variant of Poppyseed Dressing, this one uses a small amount of cream to give a silky texture. This dressing goes well with assertive flavors such as the salad of Mustard Greens and Roasted Red Beets. The sweetness of the orange and the small amount of cream tames ands contrasts nicely with the sharpness of the mustard and earthiness of the beets. If you don’t have poppyseeds, the dressing is still good without them. You could try a little celery seed (just a little!) or some powdered coriander seed.
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The deep earthy flavors of the greens work in harmony with the bright and lightly sweet flavor of the roasted romanesco, which, like most brassicas, develops sweetness in the oven.
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Orange flavored, not orange colored. This dish takes its inspiration from Sicily and the Mediterranean. It would work well with some olive slivers tossed in as well, or without the olives, use this as an accompaniment to smoked trout or large-sized grilled prawns.
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Tagged with: romanesco
This is a light flavored dressing with a definite character of its own. Some people hate shiso, others love it. The dressing is for the latter. The coriander seed helps to add more dimension to the shiso. Do not let this dressing heat up or it will not taste that pleasant. Adding shiso at the start and at the end adds depth while retaining the very fresh flavor shiso is known for. Use within a day or two of making.
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The sweetness of ripe tomato and onion are a foil for the bite of the mustard greens. Using different colored tomatoes will add some nice color top the dish. The shape of the pasta is just right for holding the ingredients and adds some texture to the dish.
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Orecchitte with Lemon Rapini “Sauce”
I like the idea of using vegetables as the sauce on pasta. This is a perfect example.
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Tagged with: rapini
This oil is originally for a Provençal inspired shaved fennel salad, but has many other uses. Once made it will keep in the refrigerator for a week or two before the flavor starts to drop off.
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INGREDIENTS:
2-3 medium to large Fennel bulbs, stalks removed and halved through the root with the width, 1 frond reserved if you wish
½ large brown onion, peeled and cut through the root
Vegetable stock or water as needed (Around 1 cup)
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pea sized bits
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
Olive oil as needed
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This dish is pretty simple. The trickiest part is mounting the sauce with butter and not breaking the sauce. This is easily avoided by simply paying attention and pulling the pan from the heat while adding (mounting) the butter, returning it to the heat if the pan cools too much. The sauce is a little tart and goes well with the fish. By not turning the fish before putting it in the oven the fish will develop a very crisp crust on the top, which is a perfect foil to the buttery sauce. White pepper is used in the sauce because it looks better, and the flavor is better suited to the sauce.
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Using a slightly leaner salmon is a good strategy for this dish as the leeks and escarole have enough fatty qualities already. The Japanese peppers mentioned are fushimi and/or shishito peppers, which are quite mild but have a pleasantly “green” flavor. Searing adds another dimension of flavor that enhances the whole dish. Add shavings of carrot to the leeks and escarole (see recipe) or cook using a roll-cut and plate on the side. You can make this recipe using roast or grilled chicken or pork chops as well, but in this case the escarole-leeks will bring the richness instead of the salmon.
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Tagged with: carrots • escarole • farro • fish • fushimi peppers • leeks • peppers • salmon • shishito peppers
The Salsa Verde v.2 is yet another iteration of a favorite of mine. It is actually the first version I did, but another was posted first, hence the order change-up. This one has marjoram, and is probably the most versatile. Cooking the cauliflower at a slightly lower heat takes a little longer, but allows for a good crisping and prevents burning. Use a heavy skillet also.
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Tagged with: cauliflower
The cress and quickles have a sharp quality the acts as a foil to the richness of the fish, and the sweetness of the quickles adds extra depth to the flavors. Crunch from the pine nuts and the creaminess they possess rounds everything out and talks with the butter used on the fish to link the two together.
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This is another recipe where cooked vegetables stand in for a normal sauce. The “sauce” could be used on its own or with pasta or grains as well. The recipe uses tilapia, but feel free to substitute other firm white fish such as cod, halibut, etc. Swordfish would work also, or toss it with grilled or sautéed shrimp. This dish is easiest to make the day after you have cooked artichokes. Cook a 2-3 extra to have with this dish, or just eat the leaves one night and use the hearts the next.
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The sauce for this dish easily works with pork or even beef, but is especially good with all poultry. Duck has a reputation of being difficult-from greasy to rubbery to gamy to hard to cook. It really isn’t that hard to deal with as long as you don’t try to cook the duck whole. The breasts are easily done in a sauté pan that is transferred to the oven to finish. Legs should be cooked separately, either roasted, braised, or confited (slow cooked in their own fat). Depending on who you talk to, duck fat is considered to be between butter and olive oil as far as health benefits go. I recommend you look it up yourselves if you are curious. I will say it washes off hands a lot easier than any vegetable shortening I’ve ever used, and it tastes great. So, while cooking this recipe, have a little heat-proof container to put the fat you drain off into handy. Look for moulard or Pekin duck breasts for this recipe. These breasts are larger and ½ a full breast (1 side) will feed two.
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Halved florets of romanesco pan-fried and then steamed with a shot of white wine to finish is then garnished with a variation of gremolata, the classic Italian mélange of flat-leaf parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Be sure to use good oil that has a high flash point, good wine (if it isn’t good just use water) and a heavyweight pan with a tight fitting lid.
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There are many versions of this salad, but the universal constant seems to be old bread and tomatoes and onions. I figure this salad grew out of the “cucina povera” canon, where waste, want not was the theme. Before Columbus, tomatoes were not part of this dish, but they certainly are now. This is a great way to use up older bread, but if you can’t wait, just rip up the bread early in the day and let it sit out a few hours, or throw it in the oven on low. I have also grilled or fried the bread for variation. Again, this is where a fixed-blade slicer can speed things up.
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Parsley and potatoes are a classic combination. Usually, it seems the parley is just there for garnish, but when done well the parsley actually tastes good and enhances the sweetness and earthiness of the potatoes. This technique for cooking potatoes helps season the potatoes as well as ensures a higher temperature which renders more of the starches giving a creamier potato. Serve this on a “plate” of Little Gem lettuces for added texture and flavor contrast.
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